Fusion (episode)
The Enterprise meet a group of outcast Vulcans, who embrace their own emotions. Summary The story opens with Captain Archer showing T'Pol his first textbook of astronomy. He's happy that he will be seeing the Arachnid Nebula, something he's wanted to see since he was a child, up close. Before T'Pol can inquire why his astronomy book is property of "Admiral Johnny Archer," they are interupted by a Vulcan vessel arriving. On the bridge, Archer doesn't recognize the type of vessel. T'Pol mentions that the vessel is of a design not used for some time. The vessel hails and identifies itself as the Vahklas. Captain Tavin says he's on a mission of exploration, and he'd be grateful for any assistance that the ''Enterprise'' could provide. In the Captain's Mess, Archer, Tavin, Tolaris, and T'Pol are having an introduction meal. After mentioning that his chef is getting better at making Vulcan cuisine, Tavin asks to try the Captain's chicken. Archer reminds Tavin that the chicken is made of meat (as Vulcans are vegetarians), but Tavin insists on trying it. T'Pol identifies them as being V'tosh ka'tur; literally "Vulcans without logic." Tavin describes how they have found a balance between emotion and logic, one which others are unable to achieve. Tolaris says that T'Pol must know a great deal about emotions, since she's on a human starship; he then apologizes to T'Pol for the offense of implying she knew emotions. T'Pol replies that she cannot feel offended. In Engineering, Trip Tucker is mentioning that their engines are very damaged and will require many replacement parts. Kov, the Vulcan engineer, asks if the humans really mate year around, eat 6 meals a day, and sleep over half the day. Trip offers to share a meal in the mess with him to clear up some of his misconceptions. T'Pol gives Archer the request list. The Vulcans want many replacement parts, a thousand liters of plasma coolant, and the recipe for chicken marsala. Archer notes that T'Pol seems to be avoiding the Vulcans. He says he likes how they aren't giving him a hard time like most of the Vulcans he knows. T'Pol says the fusion of emotions and logic dangerous, and that all other Vulcans who have tried it have failed. Archer says they don't seem dangerous, and encourages T'Pol to keep an open mind. Later, T'Pol is in the mess when Tolaris enters. He asks her to show him how to operate the food sequencer, asking to have what she is having. He finds her choice of mint tea over Vulcan tea interesting since it is very flavorful. He asks her how long she has lived among humans. T'Pol says she has spent two years at the Vulcan consulate, and seven months on the Enterprise. Tolaris asks why she stays on Enterprise. T'Pol says she is there to act as a science officer for Archer. He says that her emotions are much closer to the surface than other Vulcans, but she claims it's just because she hasn't meditated for the evening. T'Pol confronts Tolaris, saying that what they are doing is dangerous. He replies by saying that the Vulcan primal nature is exaggerated, propaganda from 5,000 years in the past. He asks T'Pol to have some pizza with him, but she says she has already eaten. However, she does suggest that they do it another time. Enterprise arrives at the Arachnid Nebula. The Captain notes that the nebula is 8 billion km across, but his astronomy text said it was 6.5 billion km. Tavin offers to help them complete the scanning sooner using their translinear sensors. Archer assigns T'Pol to work on the Vahklas in coordinating the sensor readings. On the Vulcan ship, Tolaris engages T'Pol in conversation to gauge her emotional control. She replies that it is odd how those who would reject Surak's teachings would display his likeness. Tolaris describes logic as a point of view; he used to teach literature at the Shirkar Academy, but that he believed there was more to life than logic and reason. T'Pol mentions she has also thought there was more life in the past. Tolaris suggests that she try not meditating, as an experiment, to see what her dreams are like. In the mess, Trip is telling Kov that football is not about murdering the quarterback – it's just a game, not a fight to the death. After encouraging him to clear up the myths about humans, Trip asks him about sex. Reed joins just as Kov is about to speak. Kov states that the Vulcan males are driven to mate every seven years, and that his group has been working on methods of speeding up the mating cycles. Malcolm and Trip both make faces at the idea of mating so infrequently. On the bridge, Hoshi picks up a transmission from Echo 3 from Starfleet. Admiral Forrest wants to talk to Archer about his guests; it seems Ambassador Soval knows about the Vahklas being docked with Enterprise. He mentions that Kov's father, a minister in the Vulcan High Command, wants to talk to his son. He has been unable to contact him since he had a falling out 9 or 10 years ago. He tells Archer that Kov's father is dying, and he wants to talk to his son one final time before he dies. Admiral Forrest mentions that the Vulcans let him keep T'Pol, and that it would be good to return the favor. Meanwhile, T'Pol has just gone to bed. She starts to dream, and finds herself walking along a street in San Francisco, following jazz music, and entering the Fusion night club. Her point of view shifts between conversations with Tolaris, mating with Tolaris, music, the Arachnid Nebula, and finally the destruction of a statue with the likeness of Surak. She wakes up with a gasp. T'Pol visits Phlox in the medical bay. She complains of a headache. Phlox says that she has much higher blood pressure than usual and unusual synaptic activity. He wants to run a more detailed scan, but T'Pol says that won't be neccesary. She mentions that she didn't meditate and woke agitated, and that it requires 25mg of inaprovaline to be treated. Phlox is surprised that she would stray from her routine, and she mentions it was an experiment that Tolaris told her to try. She complains that contrary to what Tolaris said, the dreams were unsettling. Phlox says she shouldn't be so dismissive; he says that she has only been changing her routine for two days, whereas they have had years to perfect the technique. Archer invites Kov to his ready room. After making small talk about the repairs with Trip, he mentions that his father is very ill, and that he wants to talk to him again. He mentions that Hoshi Sato can setup the transmission. Kov thanks him, and gets up to leave. Archer asks if Kov will speak to his father. Kov reveals that the last time they spoke, his father said that he'd brought shame to 15 generations of his family. He tells Archer to relay the message that they said goodbye a long time ago. On the vessel, Tolaris brings chamomile tea to T'Pol. He asks how her dream experiment went. She says she won't discuss them, and he says that they'll get easier. He asks T'Pol about the details, but she refuses to talk about it. Tolaris insists. T'Pol describes the dream: she left the compound on Earth and went into the streets of San Francisco. She describes how she went out of the compound and walked until she heard music. She was drawn to the unusual music, and entered a restraunt where musicians were playing. Tolaris asks how this made her feel; she described how she felt invigorated by the music. Tolaris says that emotion isn't difficult and isn't something to be afraid of, that he can help her. Archer goes to engineering and talks to Trip, asking him to help Kov talk to his father. Trip agrees to try. Archer then asks Trip about Tolaris. He is curious about what's going on, but Trip dismisses his fears, saying that if he was the only human on a ship full of Vulcans, he'd spend as much time as possible with the humans. Meanwhile, in T'Pol's quarters, Tolaris describes a mind meld to T'Pol. He describes it as a good way to release and deal with emotions; much more effective than guided meditation. He gives her the choice, and she agrees to the meld. Initially, she resists the meld, but it succeeds after she relaxes. Tolaris directs her to remember the details of her walk in San Francisco. T'Pol relives the experience. Tolaris joins her vision. He describes all the other emotions he sense: her fear of getting caught, the exhileration of breaking protocol. T'Pol tries to break off the meld and Tolaris tries to hold her to it. She breaks free of it, and refuses to go any further. Tolaris leaves in disgust. T'Pol collapses and contacts sickbay. In engineering, Trip is trying to convince Kov to talk to his father. Kov politely refuses. Trip asks if Vulcans dance. Kov replies that it only happens as part of tedious ceremony. Trip goes into a story about his first time he wanted to dance with a girl. He talks about all the preparations he did, and how he didn't ask her to dance – and how he regrets it 20 years later. He mentions that regret is one of the strongest emotions, and that Kov is pretty close to having to deal with regret on a personal level. Archer invites Tolaris into his ready room to have a discussion about the ship repairs and the survey. He thanks him for all of his help in charting the nebula. He also reveals that T'Pol won't be joining Tolaris on the surveying that day. Archer says T'Pol is in sickbay because of the mind-meld, and accuses Tolaris of assaulting T'Pol. Tolaris denies the charge, and says that he's trying to help her to shed years of repression. Archer goads Tolaris, and Tolaris attacks him. After being thrown across the room, Archer grabs a phase pistol ands tells Tolaris that his friends are no longer welcome aboard Enterprise. Trip escorts Kov back to the docking point, reviewing the engine status and repair methods. Kov mentions that his father is getting better. He says he knows this because he contacted him the other night. He thanks Trip for encouraging him. As the Vahklas departs, Archer visits T'Pol in her quarters. He asks her if she feels better, and she asks if the Vahklas has left. Archer says he thinks he finally understands why she meditates every night. Before he can leave, T'Pol asks him if he dreams. He says he dreams sometimes in color. She asks if they are enjoyable, and he says they are -- most nights. T'Pol says she envies him. Memorable Quotes "Just because they smile and eat chicken, doesn't mean they have learned to master their emotions." : - T'Pol "They're not trying to kill the quarterback." : - Trip Background Information * The episode's title was changed from "Equilibrium" to avoid confusion with the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode of the same name. * Echo 3 is deployed in this episode, however it is mentioned by Trip in the previous episode, "Shuttlepod One". *This episode marks the first time we see the interior of a Vulcan ship. *During the flashback scenes set in the nightclub, the grating behind T'Pol has appeared on Risa in the DS9 episode "Let He Who Is Without Sin...", aboard Ru'afo's flagship in Star Trek: Insurrection and aboard the Reman Scimitar in Star Trek: Nemesis. *T'Pol contracts Pa'nar Syndrome from the forced mind meld in this episode -- this isn't revealed until the Season 2 episode "Stigma". She is ultimately cured in Season 4's "Kir'Shara". *This would be the only reference in Star Trek to V'tosh ka'tur, however it has been speculated that Sybok could at least be considered V'tosh ka'tur. Yet another group of radicals, the Syrannites would be introduced in the fourth season episode "Awakening" -- their movement would prove to be a little more successful. *The CG model for the Vahklas would reappear in "Awakening" as several generic Vulcan cruisers, despite T'Pol's claim that the Vahklas-type ship "hasn't been used for a long time". *The exterior San Francisco street scenes were shot at the Paramount Pictures backlot New York street, which has appeared numerous times throughout Star Trek. Links and References Guest Stars *Enrique Murciano as Tolaris *Robert Pine as Tavin *John Harrington Bland as Kov *Vaughn Armstrong as Maxwell Forrest Species Mentioned/Seen *Human *Vulcan References Arachnid Nebula; Bayshore Elementary; chamomile tea; Chef; chicken Marsala; Cosmos A-to-Z; disodium; Echo 3; ethylchlorate; Florida; football; humans; inaprovaline; Lyles, Melissa; mint tea; Panama City; pizza; plasma coolant; Pon farr; propaganda; San Francisco; Shirkar Academy; Soval; Surak; translinear sensors; Vahklas; vaso-stimulator; V'tosh ka'tur; Vulcan (planet); Vulcans; Vulcan civilian transport; Vulcan Consulate; Vulcan High Command; Vulcan mind meld; Vulcan tea Category: ENT episodes de:Verschmelzung es:Fusion nl:Fusion sv:Fusion